E-Gobrecht, vol. 4, no. 4

The E-Gobrecht

The Electronic Newsletter of the LIBERTY SEATED COLLECTORS CLUB

Liberty Seated
Collectors Club

2008 Volume 4, Issue 4

April 2008 (Whole # 37)

What’s Inside this issue?

Auction News

2

by Jim Gray

Question of the Month
by Paul Kluth

2

LSCC Statistics

2

Christian Gobrecht
Antique Glassware by
Len Augsburger

3

Rotated Reverse
Seated Dime Update
by Jason Feldman

4

Information Wanted,
Availability of Past
Issues of the E-
Gobrecht, and Adver-
tisements

5

Subscriber Correspon-
dence

6

LSCC Information

1

Roll of Uncirculated
1878-S Half Dollars Discovered!!

Sample Photographs courtesy of Stack’s

This just in. An unnamed source has con-
firmed that an original roll of uncirculated 1878-S
half dollars has just surfaced. As the information
goes, the halves were found in the bank lock box of
an elderly gentleman’s estate in Sacramento, Califor-
nia. This gentleman was supposedly a casual coin
collector who appreciated nice looking coins but had
very few others in his possession at the time of his
death, about 10 years ago. One family member even
thought that the coins were passed down from his
great-grandfather who probably picked them up at
the San Francisco Mint in 1878.

With an estimated value in excess of $2M,
relatives of the deceased gentleman are supposedly
locked in a heated debate over what to do with these
coins. A few younger members want to sell them

immediately and retire
while others wish them to
remain in the family, dis-
tribute one each to all liv-
ing relatives, or donate
them to a worthy museum.

As the deceased had no immediate heirs and
no will, the lesson learned from this is to update your
will and include disposition instructions for your
coin collection.

The family plans to have them certified by a
third party grader and have them on display at the
2008 ANA Convention in Baltimore. Oh and by the
way, this is important - April Fools!

The E-Gobrecht is an award winning electronic publication of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC). The
LSCC is a non-proilt organization dedicated to the attributions of the Liberty Seated Coin series. The LSCC provides
the information contained in this email newsletter from various sources free of charge as a general service to the mem-
bership and others with this numismatic interest. You do not have to be a LSCC member to benefit from this newslet-
ter; subscription to the E-Gobrecht is available to anyone. All disclaimers are in effect as the completeness and/or accu-
racy of the information contained herein cannot be completely verified. Contact information is included at the end.

Page 2

The E-Gobrecht

Auction News

by

Jim Gray

After a busy February,
March was very slow with
only two auctions and very
few Seated coins offered.

A lovely 1873-CC no arrows half, an AU55,
soared to $10,350. A G4 1874-CC half realized
$758, and an UNC 1878-CC half, with pin scratches,
still managed $7,509.

The Heritage Phoenix ANA Show featured
the following impaired coins: 1856-S dime, XF40,
corroded, $805; 1849-0 quarter, AG3, damaged and
scratched, $690; and an 1855-S half dollar, VGIO,
damaged for $43 1 .

Two nice 1871-CC halves, both in XF45 sold
for $4,025 and $3,220, respectively.

An 1872-CC dollar, in VF30, was fairly at-
tractive except for the fact that Miss Liberty had a
bullet hole in her left temple. It sold for $2,990, and
a cleaned XF 1878-CC Trade dollar realized $1,150.

The Stacks Sale only featured two Seated
coins: an 1872-S quarter in UNC, but cleaned, was
withdrawn, and a lovely AU58 1855 dollar sold for
$5,003.

Question of the Month

by

Paul Kluth

This topic is in regard to finding the most full proof method for long-term coin storage and preserva-
tion... For purposes of discussion, let's say you have a super high grade Seated Liberty denomination like
an MS-66 to 67 or a superlative Proof that you are serious about ensuring that the surfaces
never deteriorate or tone any further, what methods of long-term preservation have fellow members found
to be virtually full proof storage and at the same time a reasonably affordable method? To clarify, one sees
many fabulous high grade, bright white coins from very old collections in the major sales that someone has
managed to preserve over many years without modern day storage techniques. What were some of the stor-
age secrets used then? They certainly didn't have slabs. Intercept Shield and the like which even today
may not always be 100% full proof or an absolute in a poor environment. And what really works in today's
world?

LSCC Statistics

Current paid membership: 567 members an increase of 6 since last month

Current number of E-Gobrecht Subscribers: 382 including new subscribers since last
month Scroncher, Brian Keefe, Richard Muratori, and Sean Kuhn.

2008 Volume 4 , Issue 4 (April 2008)

Page 3

Christian Gobrecht
Antique Glassware

by Len Augsburger

In the most recent Gobrecht Journal, I de-
scribed a number of early works of the engraver
Christian Gobrecht, executed prior to his appoint-
ment as second engraver of the United States Mint in
1836. One of these, the Franklin Institute medal
(Darrach-16 in the GJ article), was commissioned by
the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia as an award
medal in conjunction with its periodic technology
exhibitions.

I discovered recently that this Franklin en-
graving was reused by the Pittsburgh firm of
Bakewell, Page, and Bakewell, a manufacturer of cut
and ornamented glass. The Franklin medal engrav-
ing is featured prominently on the side of a cut glass
decanter, circa 1 826, an example of which resides in
the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The name
'GOBRECHT' can be seen in relief on the shoulder,
as on the Franklin Institute medal itself. The same
firm also tried embedding Gobrecht's Franklin inside

a glass doorknob. The technique was known as
"cameo incrustation", and being novel on American

soil, the Bakewell
firm engaged Euro-
pean craftsmen to
produce these lovely
glass pieces.

More infor-
mation is found in the
American Art Jour-
nal, January 1979.

Eor the antique and
glass collectors in the
crowd, here are a
couple pieces to be
on the lookout for!

[Editor, Len keeps
finding these interest-
ing Christian Go-
brecht items.]

Page 4

The E-Gobrecht

Rotated Seated Dimes Update

By Jason Feldman

After last month’s article, I was hopeful that
someone might surface something new. Unfortu-
nately, nothing new surfaced but I do appreciate a
few kind emails.

A new 1853-0 dime with a slight rotation was lo-
cated on eBay and an 1875-S dime without a clear S
has surfaced.

I hope this information is useful to others.

2008 Volume 4 , Issue 4 (April 2008)

Page 5

Information Wanted

I'm currently working on the large task of cataloging the known seated half dime errors k nown to
collectors by date/mintmark. If you own any seated half dime errors, please send me an e-mail at the ad-
dress below and provide the following information to make this survey as accurate as possible:

• Date and Mintmark of coin

• Type of error

• Grade

• Certification service if graded

• Photographs of both sides of the coin (if possible)

Information about any known errors including blank planchets is welcomed. The results will be
published in an artiele at the end of this year. Dennis Hengeveld, qeagle88@gmail.com

Notice: Availability of past issues of the E-Gobrecht

Through the generosity of Gerry Fortin, the previous issues of the
E-Gobrecht are readily accessible on his seated dime wehsite at
http://www.seateddimevarieties.eom/LSCC.htm

Advertisements

Rare Coins for Sale: Since 1979, David Lawrence
Rare Coins has specialized in Seated and Barber
coinage for collectors. Please visit our web site for
6,000-1- offerings of U.S. & World coins, currency,
and stamps for sale and auction. We are also inter-
ested in buying or selling your coins at auction.
http://www.davidlawrence.com or phone 1 -800-776-
0560, members: PNG, ANA (life), FUN, CSNS

Liberty Seated Quarter Cuds & Rotated Dies
Wanted: Other U.S. series of interest as well.
Please reply directly to Paul Kluth @
pcmdmp@msn.com or to the e-mail address of the
E-Gobrecht newsletter.

Rotated Reverse Seated Dimes Wanted: lam

looking for rotated reverse Liberty Seated dimes.

Any interested parties can email Jason Feldman at
iason@seated.org

Wanted to Buv: Nice, problem-free bust and seated
material. We specialize in affordable collector coins.
Puro's Coins and Jewelry, web: www.vtcoins.com.
email: puro@vtcoins.com. phone: 800-655-1327.

Page 6

The E-Gobrecht

Subscriber Correspondence

From Dennis Fortier: I really enjoyed issue 101 of the Gobrecht Journal. I especially enjoyed the die
preparation flow chart for the half dollars, the 1873 closed 3 over open 3 comparison, and the Gobrecht
Catalogue Raisonne. The die prep gave me a clear understanding of the preparation of Seated coinage that I
did not have before. The closed 3 over open 3 comparison was simply great. The technology we have to-
day opens up many new avenues of research and discovery. Thanks you to all the knowledgeable contribu-
tors.

From Jason Feldman: I stumbled into this on the web. Have you seen it?

http://www.coinlink.com/Articles/author/e-gobrecht/ [Editor’s note: Check out this link. It contains Den-
nis Hengeveld’s recent article in the E-Gobrecht and lots of other good information.]

From Dick Osburn: The market continues to be extremely hot. Rare coins of all series are moving fast
and prices are moving accordingly. There probably won’t be a better time in the next few years to fill the
missing holes in your set. I don’t see prices going anywhere but up.

We’ve just completed back-to-back national shows in Baltimore and Phoenix. The market coin
market remains as strong as a bull elephant. Rare dates and varieties continue to be in strong demand. The
demand was pretty consistent across the board. If any series could be considered hotter than others. I’d
have to list bust quarters and halves and seated dollars among them. The seated dollars were particularly
notable. We must have sold at least 30 pieces between the two shows. If you’re looking to fill in a few
tough holes in that series it may be a good time. The interest seems to really be picking up. New collectors
are picking up on the incredible low mintages for this series and looking at them as having great investment
potential.

The auctions continued to be strong. Prices were high in all the series I deal in. Still there were a
few bargains to be had, so it’s always good to keep watching. However, it’s getting more notable all the
time that a lot of the auction coins are low-end for the grade, so one has to be careful.

From Paul Kluth: Another great issue! This weekend was first chance I had to enjoy the info. Jason's ar-
ticle on the rotated dimes & color images was, of course, super for my specialized interest area!

From Dennis Fortier: Two Kids in a Candy Store (ahh...Coin Show)

LSCC member #1: Here's an AU 1858 Seated Half Dollar.

LSCC member #2: WHISPERED (I think it has an 8 & 5 in the denticles.)

Member #1: (you’re right; are you gonna buy it?)

Member #2: (I can't. I already spent my money.)

Member #1: (I'll buy it. Mine is only VF.)

Member #2: (OK, I'll buy yours.)

Member #1: (OK) TRUE STORY.

I suspect the dealer overheard us whispering but it sure made me feel like a kid trading with my bestest
buddy.

Contact Information:

President and
Editor, Gobrecht Journal

John McCloskey

John.McCloskey@notes.udayton.edu

Vice President and
Editor, E-Gobrecht

Bill Bugert
(717) 337-0229
P.O. Box 3761
Gettysburg, PA 17325
wb8cpy@arrl.net

Secretary / Treasurer

Leonard Augsbu rger
(847) 816-1649
P.O. Box 61 14
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
leonard_augsburger@hotmail.com

LSCC website:

http://www.lsccweb.org

Mark your
calendar !

LSCC Pledge

To encourage, promote, and dispense numismatic
knowledge of the Liberty Seated coins; to cultivate
fraternal relations among its members and all
those interested in the science of numismatics.

LSCC Membership Information. Dues are $20 per year
and include three issues of the Gobrecht Journal, an
award winning numismatic publication. To join the Lib-
erty Seated Collectors Club, for Gobrecht Journal mail-
ing address changes, or for other membership questions,
correspond with the LSCC Secretary.

Articles, comments, or advertisements for publication in
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President.

Information, input, comments, or suggestions for im-
provements to this E- Gobrecht are actively solicited from
anyone and may be sent to the Editor, E-Gobrecht.

- 35th Anniversary of the LSCC -
2008

- Regional meeting of the LSCC -
April 18th, 9 AM, at the Central
States Convention in Chicago

- LSCC annual meeting at the ANA
Convention, Baltimore - July
(Details TBD)

- LSCC Trade Dollar census - 2009

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Wanted: Material for this newsletter!

Please consider submitting something for print. It need not
be elaborate; it can be something as simple as a short note on your
favorite variety, neat find, nice cherry pick, happenings at a coin
show, rare Liberty Seated coinage coming up for auction, etc. If
you are interested in it, rest assured, others will be too! Sharing
information is a goal of this newsletter and you need not be an ex-
perienced or famous writer to submit something. This is a continu-
ing plea.

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